WTF is going on at EA Sports? First came the manifold glitches and problems in NCAA 09, now we're seeing accounts of corrupt profiles forcing Xbox 360 racers to ditch their gamesaves and start all over.
After reaching a certain level of progress - the theory is cumulative laps driven, as it's struck gamers at differing points in their careers - the profile becomes corrupted and freezes the game right at the load screen. There is no other way to play the game except to delete the file and start all over. You can see a video of it here - but it takes 7 minutes to explain what was just said above. There is, however, a swell parakeet whistling in the background.
Of course, using a memory stick and disabling auto-save is one workaround. That doesn't help anyone who had no idea he'd bought a defective game and finds out about this after putting 20 or 30 hours worth of effort into it.
Reader S.H. (who tipped us here) says EA Sports is not responding to forum posts, emails or any calls for help (which the video helpfully points out). No wonder they're putting Peter Moore's face into a boxing game. That'll probably crash, too.
Seriously, EA Sports, why is it amateur hour all of a sudden? What the fuck is the matter with you people?
Addendum: If you're gonna hate on me for the headline, I grew up in Elkin, N.C., 20 minutes from North Wilkesboro, where they used to race twice a year, and on a clear Saturday night I could hear Friendship Speedway from my house. I come by this honestly, friend.
*NASCAR 09 Warning for 360* Back Up Your Saved Profile [Operation Sports forums]